Traffic Crash Leads to Fatal Shooting in Rochester

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM) - Rochester Police reported a 17-year-old boy was shot to death during a confrontation that followed a traffic crash Sunday morning.

Police Captain John Sherwin says officers responded to reports of a shooting at the intersection of East River Road and 31st Street Northeast around 8:20 a.m. and found Muhammed Rahim lying on the road with a fatal gunshot wound to his chest. The Rochester teenager was rushed to St. Marys Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Olmsted County Adult Detention Center photo

The man who shot Rahim, 25-year-old Alexander Weiss of Rochester was arrested at the scene and the handgun used in the shooting was recovered from him. Captain Sherwin says it has been confirmed Weiss has a valid “permit to carry.”

Based on the evidence at the scene and witness statements, Investigators determined the shooting followed a collision involving a vehicle driven by Weiss and another vehicle driven by Rahim, who had three passengers, another 17-year-old boy, and two females ages 16 and 18-years-old. Preliminary reports indicate Rahim lost control of his vehicle and slid into a ditch. Weiss was driving past the intersection at the time and stopped to avoid a collision, but his vehicle ended up being struck by Rahim’s vehicle when he attempted to back out of the ditch.

While it does not appear to have been a road-rage incident, the crash resulted in a confrontation involving Weiss, who was alone in his vehicle, and Rahim and the 17-year-old male passenger of his vehicle. Sherwin says Weiss has given a statement claiming he was acting in self-defense.

Sherwin says investigators are looking for additional witnesses. Specifically, investigators wish to speak with the occupants of a newer red SUV driven by a white woman in her 30’s that was headed east on 31t Street when the incident occurred.